What's Your Contract?
by Loser Got Lucky
Summary: Power always comes with a price, but sometimes the price has to be paid sooner rather than later....and sometimes it can be steep. In a game of win and lose with the prize a cities salvation, will the Organization or the Syndicate win?


**AN: Hello all! New story for you to sink your jaws into! Those of you who have watched the Anime "Darker Than Black" may notice the concept of "Contractors." It's such a cool idea that I couldn't not write a fic using it! I've wanted to write it for a while, but never had the time...but I have time now!  
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**Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own no characters from Kingdom Hearts, nor the concept of "Contractors," which I have kindly borrowed from the "Darker Than Black" anime. They were very nice about lending it to me :)**

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_Run._

In a city as dark and empty as the one she inhabited, running was considered a common practice by every unlucky soul that had the misfortune to dwell there. And how unfortunate they were.

Governed by an unstoppable, unforgiving force that was Organization XIII, every citizen risked a dance with death each time they put a wary foot out of the safety of their homes. For death was a winged angel, forever on the prowl in this lawless city, with it's many back alleys, towering buildings that cast premature shadow in a sunless world and, above all, the moon shined. Shining with the light of countless captured hearts.

And those whom the hearts belonged to were now under the control of the Organization. They were the angels, with tattered wings and swinging scythes, cutting down all who thought themselves protected by Lady Luck. She had been murdered long ago, and every person was as much a victim as the next.

_Run Faster._

What was it, that made her leave her home? In the terror of the chase, the young woman had quite forgotten. The only thing that preoccupied her thoughts were thoughts to survive. And to survive, she had to run.

Blue eyes, those of clear oceans and peaceful skies, scanned with increasing panic the alleyway she was hurtling down. The rustling, scurrying sound of the pursuing lost souls, named by the city-dwellers simply, "The Heartless", was increasing in volume, warning the woman that her death was fast approaching. No-one ever escaped once the Heartless chose a victim. They never tired, and never stopped till the life-blood of their prey flowed through their black claws. It was inevitable. And yet, she still ran because she had been taught that even in the deepest darkness, a light always shined within. And she is determined to be the first to reach that light.

_Run Faster._

There, ahead! A alleyway leading off of the one she was running down, small pangs of pain lacing up her legs, her body telling her that she was beginning to push it too far. Skidding slightly, she managed to alter her course to the right without sprawling the dirt and ending all chances of living. A grunt tore from her lips as she began running at full speed again, the Heartless swarming the entrance of the alley and scuttling after her, there huge, bulbous yellow eyes the only defining characteristic of their sheer number. All other features blended into the darkness.

The girl chanced a look over her shoulder, her own black hair swinging into her face, her eyes narrowed in fear. No closer than before…but no further behind. She swung her head around to see where she was going, to only find herself tumbling downward. She skidded along the ground, gravel imbedding itself in her palms and tearing the knee of her jeans open. A gruff cry meets her ears, one that is not her own, and her blood chills. She is not the only human down here.

"Hey! Watch were ye goin'!" A deep, rough voice shouted out of the darkness near her ankles. The girl scrambled to her feet, and tried to see the shape of the man she'd tripped over. But it was futile; he was swallowed by the shadows. No more time to waste, the girl began running again, the strangers curses reaching her even as she distanced herself from him. "Fuckin' id'jit!"

"You have to run!" She shouted over her shoulder, already tearing down the alleyway. "The Heartless are coming!"

"What?! You lead'em right down 'ere?! You fuckin' stupid bitch!" the male voice cried in horror, the sounds of his own scrambling masked by the manic rustle of the Heartless. A piercing scream echoed through the darkness, along with the wet, clinging sound of flesh being torn from bone as the Heartless would be digging their claws into all of the man they could reach. These sounds met the ears of the girl, who grimaced but did not lessen her speed. The Heartless would feed tonight, it seemed. Hopefully they would be content with the meal of the foolish alley-dweller, who would dwell in the alleys no more.

But one homeless man would not feed all of them. It would lower their number, surely, but how did that help her? It was a life or death battle even fighting one Heartless, let alone any larger number. And she was _not_ willing to turn and fight. Not when she could still run. Not yet.

Her haggard breathing was a distraction. How is she supposed to concentrate on finding her way out of this suffocating darkness when her own gusts of breath were louder than the heartbeat that was ringing in her ears? That was what they were after; the heart in her chest, young and strong, with many beats ahead of it, should she survive. Her heart would never replace any of theirs, but the desperate creatures would try anything to elevate their suffering.

At last, the end of the alleyway was in sight. Her heart light, she put on an extra burst of speed, bringing her run to a sprint. The alleyway turned, and the woman shot a hand out to grip the corner brickwork so she could swing herself into a new direction, so not to loose any momentum. She staggered slightly, but continued, flicking her head as to get her hair out of her eyes so she could see-

That she was running into a dead end. Dead being the operative word.

"Shit," she spat, slowing her sprint to a run, and her run to a steady stop. She span around and began slowly backing into a corner, her eyes narrowed at the Heartless that were already pouring into her field of vision. They began blossoming from the ground and walls, able to flatten themselves and run along surfaces, like shadows. Still the girl backed up, her eyes jumping from Heartless to Heartless as her brain worked on a way out. Her back soon pressed against the chilled bricks, and she sighed. It was now or never. Do or die.

She would choose not to die that day.

Slowly reaching into her pocket, she brought out a small switchblade, sliding her finger along the side till an equally small blade emerged. Normal weapons didn't work on Heartless; they passed through them as if they were smoke.

But there are some individuals in this world that have power. Power to defend. Power to attack. But like all things, power comes with a price.

And a price always has to be paid.

Turning her arm so that the underside shown palely in the light, the girl scored a line on her flesh with the knife, deep enough to let the blood flow freely, but not deep enough to cause injury. It was a practiced move, as could be seen from the precision of the cut and the scars of others. She bit her lip, never able to be used to the pain. But it was done; her debt paid. She was now free.

Bringing her arm across in front of her, tilting it so the shining cut faced the sky, she waited till the Heartless were in range. The creatures did not see her carve her own flesh, nor did they comprehend it. All they could see was the heart that was beating in the raven-haired girls chest as it heaved up and down, forcing air into her lungs.

All of a sudden, one leapt, claws fully extended. With a cry of fear, the girl flicked her cut so that the creature was sprayed with tiny droplets. The Heartless dug it's claws into her arm, but that's as far as it would get. Her eyes narrowed, her pupils glowing red, the girl raised her free arm, and snapped her fingers.

It was like the creature imploded on itself; it emitted a high screech as all of the droplets of blood that had landed on it when it neared the girl exploded, blowing holes clear through the Heartless. The creature dissipated in a mixture of black gas and a oil-like substance which would stain the alleyway forever more.

Another Heartless attacked, and another, but the girl now armed with a new injury and more blood was able to flick her arm as the liquid dripped from her fingers. Each droplet hit its mark, and each time she snapped her fingers, it would die. Dodging, rolling, jumping and vaulting, the girl was only just able to stay out of their grasp long enough to flick-and-click, blowing Heartless away even as more were attracted to the smell of fresh human blood and the passing of their brothers.

Finally, one of them managed to grip onto her leg, burning her jeans away and burning her skin where it's claws cut through her. Panting, she pressed her bloody palm to it's head and slapped the brick wall she was pressed against with the other, the sound produced acting like a trigger and blasting a hole the shape of her hand clear through the creature, splashing her leg with it's oily blood which stung like acid. Unable to run anymore, she slowly slid down the wall, time seeming to freeze as her vision pulsed, the yellow eyes of the Heartless surrounding her. Blinking lazily, the girl smiled.

"'Least…I took some of you with me," she muttered, letting her eyelids flutter shut, not wanting to see the Heartless descend on her.

There was a thud in front of her, and then a metallic swishing sound and the squeals of Heartless. She cracked open one eye, then they both flew open in surprise.

There was a man fighting the heartless.

He was dressed in a black trench-coat similar to those that the Organization wore, but it was without a hood, and just a high collar. The bottom of the coat was rimmed with a strip of silver half an inch thick, and he had silver fingerless gloves on also. She thought she could just make out a insignia on the back of the coat, but the light was too bad, so she couldn't be sure.

The stranger leapt and ricocheted off the narrow walls, his red eyes the only thing she could see in the darkness, swiping at the Heartless with a peculiar shaped blade, which vanquished each creature with a single stroke and a puff of smoke. The Heartless had nearly killed her, and injured her badly. This miraculous stranger killed them all without a scratch. With a final sliding attack, which left the stranger crouched, his blade behind him and a palm on the floor between his legs, he breathed out a pent-up breath, and stood to his full height. A flash of light illuminated the alleyway (the girl caught a pair of deep blue eyes and brown spikes falling into his face before he was taken by shadows again), and his weapon was dismissed. He stood directly in front of her for a few moments in silence while she breathed raggedly, his (and her own) eyes loosing their red tints, her various wounds slowly stopping their flow of blood; because of her Payment, her blood was slightly thicker than others, else she bleed to death. It was a few minutes of silence later that he addressed her.

"You have a Contract." His voice was light, and young, which surprised the girl. She herself was young and foolish, which resulted in her injury. Someone so accomplished in fighting the heartless must've had years of practice to meet this mans level of combat expertise! And yet he sounded not a day older than herself!

"That's right. And so do you," she countered, trying to rise to her feet and failing, her leg unable to support her own weight. The stranger offered her a hand, which she took after a moments deliberation. "Who are you?"

"A better question is, why're you down here surrounded by Heartless? And why weren't you dead? I'm guessing the only thing that saved you was your Contract," he said slowly, as if trying to work out what he was getting at as he spoke.

"That's right."

"So how come you didn't use it earlier?" the voice said innocently, confusion clear in his voice. Suddenly, the alleyway was bathed in light. The two of them looked up to wear the light was coming from, eyes narrowed against the onslaught.

"Because of them," She said shortly.

She chanced a look at her saviour; He looked young, as she thought he did, and he was about a head taller than herself, with deep blue eyes and spiky brown hair which stuck up all over the place. But it was his tanned skin that puzzled her the most. In a world where no sun ever shone, why wasn't he as pale as she was? Instead of dwelling on it, she raised her eyes up to the roof where the high-powered flood-light was surrounding them.

As the girl looked up at the light, her hands balled into fists at her sides (blood still running from her enclosed fist), the stranger who came to her rescue looked at her. She was shorter than he, with pale-white skin. This meant she was a native to this world. Her eyes were a shade lighter blue than his own, and she had cropped black hair, bangs falling into her eyes as she stared up at the light-source. She was wearing a black tank-top with a black wristband on her right arm. Dark jeans and heavy mid-shin boots covered her bottom half, although the jeans were ripped in the knees, and a large section of the one leg was burned away all together.

"Hey…" the stranger said, getting the girl's attention.

"What?" she whispered hurriedly, not taking her eyes off the roof.

"…I'm Sora." She looked at him, her eyebrow cocked. He smiled at her widely, which she returned after a few moments.

"…Xion."

"Awwh, Isn't that a heart-warming sight? Our damsel in distress is thankful to her knight in shining armour. It's a shame neither of you will leave this alleyway alive," a voice boomed from above, and a figure stepped into the light, shadowing the two below. It was impossible to see the person's face, but from the black coat he was garbed in, there was no mistaking him; A member of the Organization.

"State your number!" yelled Sora, taking a step forward to stand in front of Xion. There was a flash, and his strange blade appeared in his hand. Now that she could see it properly, Xion saw that it was in the shape of a large silver and gold key. How strange.

"Aha, so we finally come across a secretive member of the Syndicate. Flash, I gather?" Sora made no response, and a chuckle floated down to them. "Well, young rebel, I will tell you my number. I am number 11, and I will be the one to kill you now."

"Marluxia, huh?" Sora said with a smirk, his grip on his blade tightening as 'Marluxia' let out a sound of shock. "Yeah, we know way more about you guys than you think we do. So, uh, I think I'll be leaving now, and I'll be taking this lady with me," He said conversationally, reaching behind him and gripping Xion's wrist. "Just hear me out," he whispered, turning his head a fraction when he felt her trying to pull her wrist from his grip. "I've got some stuff you might wanna hear. You're not safe now. The Organization know you have a Contract, and they won't stop hunting you till you join'em or you're dead. So you've got nothing to loose with coming with me, right?"

Without giving Xion a chance to reply, he took off at a run down the alleyway, turning sharply and yanking her with him back into the shadows.

"Not so fast, Flash!" Marluxia screeched after him, disappearing in a black swirl and reappearing on the ground and charging after the two.

Xion stumbled slightly on her wounded leg as Sora continued to pick up speed, not loosening his hold on her as he veered down a passage that she hadn't seen when she ran down previously.

"Where-where are we running to?!" She panted, trying her best not to stumble.

"Just to a clearing, not far now!" Sora shouted over his shoulder, his blade slung carelessly over his shoulder. "Ah, here we go!"

They were suddenly running in a small open area, three different alleys leading off and a small passage that lead to the main streets, which were empty as usual except for the odd armoured vehicle. Sora turned and faced the girl, gripping her shoulders. "Okay, Xion, do you trust me?"

"Not really!" Xion yelped, trying to take a few steps back, her hands grabbing Sora's as she tried to shove him off her, but he held tight. The noise of Marluxia coming after them was getting louder.

"Well, if you wanna live, you better trust me quick," he said shortly, and he quickly slid one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees as he pulled her into his arms. Xion shrieked loudly, but Sora ignored her and ran directly at a wall, his eyes beginning to glow. There was a flash of light, and he was gone.

Marluxia skidded to a halt and swore loudly, throwing a large scythe to the floor in his anger. He had just burst into the small clearing when he saw the boy vanish with the girl in his arms. He lowered his hood angrily, showing a proud face with large quantities of pink hair surrounding his face as rose petals fluttered to the floor.

"Damn you, Flash," he growled to himself, stalking over to his scythe, picking it up and dismissing it in another shower of petals. "I'll get you next time, boy. And then we'll know your true name…"

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**AN: Yay! I do enjoy writing this, and I hope that you get some sort of enjoyment from reading it too!**


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